Cross Polination

yolos 3/31/2012, 6:23 pm

I am going to grow 4 varieties of cucumbers this year to see which one I prefer and which one fights off insects and disease the best. If I plant them in the same raised bed, growing up the same trellis, will I have a problem with cross pollination. I am not worried about saving seeds, only in taste and the cucumber being true to its variety.

I am also growing 6 varieties of tomatoes and I have the same question concerning cross pollination.

AvaDGardner 3/31/2012, 7:19 pm

If you aren't worried about seeds, I wouldn't worry about the fruit. It will "throw" what ever type it is.

The seeds might produce a hybrid variety (one parent you know, the other you don't), but that isn't your focus, is it?

Also, if the seed is a marked with initials for resistance to a disease, I think the plant is sterile. It will produce seeds that do nothing.

Too Tall Tomatoes 3/31/2012, 8:01 pm

From what I know, you can have two different varieties of tomatoes growing side by side. Tomato Plant A will produce A tomatoes and Tomato Plant B will produce B tomatoes. Cross pollination might show up if you try to grow seeds from either A or B.

quiltbea 3/31/2012, 9:17 pm

The fruits will grow whatever variety is their seed. You don't have to worry about any crosses until the following generation, if you tried to save their seeds, so go for it. Plant whatever you like wherever you like.

yolos 3/31/2012, 10:17 pm

Thanks to everybody. Now I just need to build the bed for the cucumbers and the bed for the tomatoes, fill with mels mix, put on grids, and plant. I just finished building the herb bed and off to home depot in the morning to take part in the sale.

GWN 3/31/2012, 10:28 pm

I question this somewhat.
I guess I thought that if I were just growing seeds without the plan of saving seeds, I should have been fine.
However I grew 3 different types of peppers, one was a purple pepper that I quickly decided I did not care for (me and DH cannot eat green peppers without paying the price later with gas etc)(and the purple ones were pretty much GREEN)

Somehow each of my pepper bushes had purple ones interspersed with the ones that were the "intended"
Many of the bushes had mostly RED peppers, but a few purple ones.

Does this make sense? When it comes to Cross pollination?

Too Tall Tomatoes 3/31/2012, 10:34 pm

GWN wrote:I question this somewhat.
I guess I thought that if I were just growing seeds without the plan of saving seeds, I should have been fine.
However I grew 3 different types of peppers, one was a purple pepper that I quickly decided I did not care for (me and DH cannot eat green peppers without paying the price later with gas etc)(and the purple ones were pretty much GREEN)

Somehow each of my pepper bushes had purple ones interspersed with the ones that were the "intended"
Many of the bushes had mostly RED peppers, but a few purple ones.

Does this make sense? When it comes to Cross pollination?

I've heard something similar with planting bell peppers too close to hot peppers. Some people say that the bell pepper could actually taste slightly spicy if planted too close to a hot variety.

Maybe tomatoes are different. Cross Polination 601593

AvaDGardner 4/9/2012, 8:52 pm

GWN wrote:I question this somewhat.
I guess I thought that if I were just growing seeds without the plan of saving seeds, I should have been fine.
However I grew 3 different types of peppers, one was a purple pepper that I quickly decided I did not care for (me and DH cannot eat green peppers without paying the price later with gas etc)(and the purple ones were pretty much GREEN)

Somehow each of my pepper bushes had purple ones interspersed with the ones that were the "intended"
Many of the bushes had mostly RED peppers, but a few purple ones.

Does this make sense? When it comes to Cross pollination?

Janet, I'm so glad you posted this. I read your post in the other thread today about seeds & peppers and thought of this thread.

Could it be your purple peppers weren't ripe yet when you picked them? Some peppers go through color stages as they ripen (green, yellow, orange, then red), and others come in the color expected (which sounds very 'modified' to me).

Just a thought.

Ava

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